Muli Shani Zambia?!

Here's our African adventure in a few random photos (click to enlarge). It was wild and wacky. We expected the unexpected, but we were still surprised. And glad we went. We went for the opportunity to participate in a development project--specifically a poultry plant meant to stimulate the local economy, give small farmers jobs, and provide affordable protein to the poor.

Royal Poultry Company is the brainchild of a Zambian man who partnered with Engineering Missions International (EMI) for technical assistance to get the project up and running. EMI is like Doctors Without Borders for engineers and architects. So I got to spend a week with a bunch of science/technology nerds! Very fun. They were a really enjoyable, great team of 7 engineers, 1 architect, me, and another wife. 1 Ethopian, 3 Americans, 6 Canadians. While the guys worked, the other tag-along wife and I spent 4 days at Buseko Children's Home, an orphanage for HIV+ kids.



Sunset. African sky and light can be gorgeous.



Our grass hut at Pioneer Camp where we stayed the first two nights just outside the capital city, Lusaka, waiting for the team to arrive. It was a cool African dream--complete with mosquito net, stone walls and floors, fire heated shower, birds, giant spiders and beetles. Very fun.



Many billboards exist throughout Zambia now to suggest fidelity and/or safe sex as a way to fight HIV/AIDS. Often these are accompanied by Bible verses.



Lusaka market.



Roadside markets are everywhere. Everyone is an entrepreneur in Zambia--out of necessity I think.



The first and last couple days were in Lusaka, the capital, and the in between days we spent in Ndola, the major city of the Copperbelt, the copper mining area 4 hours drive North. In between these two cities of 2 and 1 million people were small, grass hut villages of subsistence farmers.



Running man.



Local bus.



A cheery way to ride under the hot, dry sun.



That sun going down.



Matt at the guest house in Ndola where we stayed. The guest house was also the work base for the team.



Toddler at Buseko, which means "laughter."



Lisa. Shoes always on the wrong feet. Always full of laughter.



Beautiful Agnes.



The two I wanted to take home. Matthew, the gentle-spirited 7 year old who loved sports and Izukangi, the 7 month old with big eyes and lots of smiles.



Lily pads in Nsobe Game Park.



Waterside at Nsobe Game Park--our fun day.








African cowboy.



Sad sacks.



Bicyclette en Afrique.



Broken down on the road back to Lusaka. And right after we just filled up at the "gas station"--two guys on the side of the road with a jerry can and siphon tube. The wheel had started to smoke so we all clambered out, waited for a safer vehicle, then all clambered aboard the next minivan whose whole underside was smoking. That's Africa.



Got to enjoy one African downpour--rare, since October is Zambia's hottest, driest month.



Space to Let--typical hanging out scene.

Your Questions Answered

We're swimming under a wave of so many questions, trying to keep our heads above water. So I thought I'd answer them publicly all at once here so that when we return we can waste no time and just get straight to hugging and eating dinners together and drinking good wine.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?
London. Visiting with Deb and Tom take two.

WHERE WE TWO DAYS AGO?
Italy. We did a whirlwind 8 day tour of Pisa, Florence, Ravenna, and Venice. And we LOVED it. Italy was hilarious, gorgeous, interesting, stunning--a great pile of funny cliches too. I wish we could have gone longer, but whose to say it's the last time?!

WHAT NEXT?
We fly to Zambia 3 days. We're excited, ambivalent, a little nervous all in one. We return Oct 24. London for a night, St. Andrew's for 10, London for 2 more, and fy home Nov 6.

Ok, that's the details of now, but here's what you all really want to know.

DID WE FIND OURSELVES?
Sure! We were right where we left ourselves.

NOW WHAT?
Don't know.

KIDS?
Don't know.

WHEN'S MATT GOING BACK TO WORK?
Don't know.

IS MATT GOING BACK TO WORK AT BCTC?
Don't know.

IF NOT BCTC, THEN WHERE?
Don't know.

IS SANDRA GOING TO WORK?
For Christmas season doing flowers again, and then, don't know.

SO WHAT DO WE KNOW?
Our plane lands in Vancouver. Ken and Sonya's will be our temporary home while I work for Christmas. Having it all figured out is overrated.

WAS IT WORTH IT?
Absolutely!

ARE WE READY TO GET SERIOIUS AND SETTLE DOWN?
No way. That's not the last time we quit our jobs and go on a big trip. The world is our oyster...